REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF INSECTS 

 IN THE U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890. 



By C. V. Riley, Honorary Curator. 



Daring the past fiscal year the increased space in the laboratory has 

 afforded facilities for a proper display of the collections and for much 

 work on the arrangement of the different orders and families into the 

 systematic, biologic, and duplicate series. 



The educational exhibit collection, which was reported on as com- 

 pleted in my last annual report, has been somewhat improved, and the 

 economic collection, which was somewhat damaged during the return 

 shipment from the Paris Exposition, has been overhauled and put in 

 place again. 



A large collection of illustrations of North American insects, pre- 

 pared for the Paris Exposition, adds value to the exhibit collection. 

 The illustrations represent wood-cuts and plates, mostly from the orig- 

 inal drawings of the curator. These were carefully hand-proofed from 

 the original blocks and present a unique series of cuts, many of which 

 in rougher impression have become familiar to the American public 

 through repetition in entomological and agricultural publications. 



Many important accessions have been received during the year, of 

 which the following may be mentioned : 



A large collection of Myriapoda, containing about 2,200 specimens and numerous 

 types, was purchased from the mother of the late C. H. Bollman, Bloomington, 

 Indiana. 



A collection of 125 rare Micro-Lepidoptera, containing types of a number of his 

 species, was received from Lord Walsingham, England, through the curator. 



Fourteen Old World species of blind Coleoptera, obtained by exchange from Prof. 

 R. Gestro, Genoa, Italy. (22224.) 



A collection of 2,500 species of Coleoptera, many of which were new to the Museum, 

 was purchased from M. L. Linell, Aid to the Department. (22705.) 



A well mounted series of Australian aud New Zealand insects, collected by Mr. A. 

 Koebele, containing about 400 species of Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Orthoptera and 

 Lepidoptera, were received through the curator. Also through the same source, five 

 boxes of Australian and New Zealand insects, collected by Mr. Koebele, including 29 

 different galls, and, in many cases, the insects bred from them; 42 Coccids, 415 

 Psyllids, and various other interesting specimens, especially Micro-Hymenoptera, all 

 most carefully mounted. (22474.) 



Types of many new species of North Americau Coleoptera have been received by 

 exchange from Capt. T. L. Casey, New York. 



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